← on nowLGR-031 · v0.1.0 · model · count fertilizer: how much, per second and per year
fertilizer · nitrogen, phosphate, potash
spread, in kilograms
190 billion
a year
6,021
a second
520 million
a day
lost to air and water, in kilograms
95 billion
a year
3,010
a second
260 million
a day
method FAO fertilizer statistics: total N + P2O5 + K2O nutrient use. losses = 1 − nitrogen use efficiency (~50%).
- a third of the world’s cropland grows food for animals, not people.source: FAO; Mottet et al. 2017
- the runoff makes dead zones. the one in the gulf of mexico covers thousands of square kilometres each summer.source: NOAA
- about six tonnes a second, every second.source: FAO fertilizer statistics
live. this is the channel itself. embed it anywhere:
<iframe src="https://thetoll.earth/?channel=fertilizer" width="100%" height="520" style="border:1px solid #D9DDDB" title="the toll · fertilizer"></iframe>
or the whole broadcast, every channel, the same for everyone:
<iframe src="https://thetoll.earth/?embed=1" width="100%" height="520" style="border:1px solid #D9DDDB" title="the toll · on now, everywhere"></iframe>
how this number is built
- method
- FAO fertilizer statistics: total N + P2O5 + K2O nutrient use. losses = 1 − nitrogen use efficiency (~50%).
- range
- 185–200 million tonnes/yr
- confidence
- count
- weakness
- 'lost to air and water' applies a nitrogen efficiency figure to total nutrients, which overstates phosphate and potash losses; the order of magnitude holds.
- dispute
- dispute LGR-031 · corrections are credited
- data
- channels.json (sign-in) · full entry · CC BY 4.0